First, Happy New Year everyone...not sure this is going to be my last blog post of 2011, but it is defiantly one of my last ones. Thought as we close up shop for the year would share a few of my own top news stories for the year.First up, is Japan, and from my point of view, three top news stories come out of one event, or series of events. There was a MONSTER earthquake, coming in at 8.9 on the Richter Scale, which makes it one of the biggest earthquakes the world has seen in modern times. That singular event was is news worthy. Second news story was the Tsunami that was caused by this massive earthquake...these two events combined saw over 16,000 people lose their lives. You can find pictures here. Though hard to imagine, these two natural disasters caused a far more dangerous and long lasting disaster at the Fukushima reactor site, and leave no doubt about it, the meltdowns (yes, plural) make this the largest nuclear accident ever known to mankind.
Last year had barely started when a lone shooter opened fire at a strip mall in Arizona, one of his victims Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords...thankfully, she survived, but many there to see her on that fateful day did not. There were far more deadly events in 2011, but seeing one of our elected officials so savagely attacked shocked us all.
Time named the protester person of the year, and though police forces all across America have used BRUTAL FORCE in trying to crush our own Occupy Movement here in America, it is still alive and well, and look for MAJOR HEADLINES from them in the new year. As the Washington Post says, "The Occupy Movement lives" and they have some great links in their article on this subject.
America leaves Iraq...notice here that I did not say the Iraq War is over, because it is not, though pundits and the networks did their best to paint our departure from Iraq as the end of the war, our troops PROUD VICTORS...we did not win that wrong war, Iraq is still at war and the cost in blood and treasure WAS NOT WORTH IT. We are out of the conflict, and that is about all we can say. As 2012 looms on the dawn of a new day, let us pray we do not find ourselves and our troops involved in a war in Iran in the coming new year.
Straight and simple...The Great Recession continues on, and the group hurt worst by this fact is the Baby Boomers who find themselves out of work.
For Americans, and especially for us NYers, Bin Laden being killed has to be on the list of top news stories in 2011. If there is a hell, may this man reside there for eternity, the souls of those whose deaths he caused haunting him forever. If there is a God, may Moammar Gadhafi find himself sharing the same cell with Bin Laden in that eternal hell.
For many of us, the passing of Apple's Steve Jobs deserves a mention as one of the year's top news stories. This visionary will be missed. Even though we all knew this day was coming, its arrival was too soon, and still came as a shock.
Top stories for our own little community in 2011
Sherwood Martinelli acting as the Creative Force and Committee Chair saw the MCDP win a $7,000 grant by winning Second Place in Category B in the yearly Sullivan Renaissance Beautification program. He will be taking his talents to Rock Hill in 2012 as they work towards competing for a Category C award.
Uccelli Restaurant opens in our small hamlet...any business opening in our small hamlet is big news.
Disaster was narrowly averted at the Upstate Karate Studio thanks to the fast action of the Mountaindale Fire Department.
